US President Donald Trump has signalled a shift in US policy toward Cuba, saying he has “no problem” with countries sending oil to the island as a Russian tanker carrying crude arrived in Cuban waters.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said: “If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem whether it’s Russia or not.”
The comments mark a change from the Trump administration’s previous approach, which had effectively blocked oil shipments to Cuba in an effort to pressure the government in Havana.
The Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, which is under US sanctions, arrived in Cuba on Monday carrying 100,000 metric tonnes of crude oil, according to Russia’s transport ministry. The ship is expected to unload at the port of Matanzas.
The shipment is the first oil delivery to Cuba in three months. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has said the country received no oil imports during that period, forcing strict fuel rationing and worsening an energy crisis that has led to repeated power outages.
Analysts said the cargo could provide temporary relief. Energy expert Jorge Piñon estimated the crude could be refined into about 250,000 barrels of diesel, enough to meet Cuba’s demand for roughly 12 days.
The US had tightened pressure on Cuba after the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, cutting off Venezuelan oil exports and threatening tariffs on countries that supplied fuel to the island.